Girl Meets Decision
by GirlMeetsWorld.Books
Summary: An alternate ending to Girl Meets World. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review! I love hearing how I can better improve the story, and I'll try to incorporate ship requests. First FanFiction!
1. Girl Meets Decision

**RILEY POV:**  
Life used to be so easy. It seems like everyday I'm getting farther away from my hopes. I just need everything to stop. Now. At least I have my friends. In case you don't know, I'll try to sum up my best friends.

Maya is my favorite person in the entire world. Nothing can change that. If it weren't for her, I'd never take _any_ risks. She is the single best thing that has ever happened to me. She's a bit of a rebel, the "naughty" kid...but I think she knows when to stop. She's always been there for me, and nothing could change that.

Farkle is just the best. I don't say that very often… he's always been there for me since I was 7. He comforts me when even Maya can't. He knows what's best for me somehow. He's a super-genius, and he wants to take over the world. He's passionate about everything he does… and, frankly, me.

Lucas is a great guy. And I mean a _GREAT_ guy. I've always loved him: and not just as a friend. But I have to start seeing him that way now that he and Maya are a thing. But I know he'll always be there for me. He'll stand up for me. I just hope it'll always be in the right way. Personality wise, Lucas is a somewhat-serious guy, but he makes you smile everyday.

Right now I'm in a pickle. Lucas and Maya are together. He chose her. Farkle and Smackle are an unofficial thing. Zay and Vanessa are together. I'm the loner. If I really wanted, I could be with Charlie...but I'm not _that_ desperate...right? He's a great guy, but I just don't like him like that. Today was the first time I had to face Maya after the decision. I'm trying so hard not to resent her, but how could you not? I'm trying to ignore her, but not as much as I'm ignoring Lucas. I'm stuck with Farkle. Don't get me wrong, I love his conversations. Recently we had one of the best ones ever.

"Hey Farkle."

"Riley, I've been waiting to talk to you. You're not picking up your phone." He paused, waiting for a response. When none came, he looked at her and just asked one question before she started crying. "How are you doing?"

 **FARKLE POV:**

Life used to be so easy. My best friend is dating my other best friend who crushed my other best friend's heart. What side do I take? I thought about it, and decided definitely. _Riley._ She is the strongest of the group, and yet the most vulnerable. Nothing can bring her down...until something does. She is so complicated, and yet I understand her completely. It must just be an accessory to my Genius Gene. I called her when Lucas made her decision. She didn't answer. I called Maya, she didn't answer. Even Lucas didn't answer! I called Riley again, still no answer. I knew what to do. I went up to her window, expecting myself to crawl through and say "Ladies". When I saw Riley, it was against my will to do anything but freeze. I watched her as she paced the room, angry at herself, angry at the world. She was ready to explode. It looked like she already had. Mascara was dripping down her beautiful face. I wanted more than anything to run and give her a hug, to hold her for eternity if that's what it took. I wanted to comfort her, but I just couldn't. I was paralyzed. In shock. Nothing could've possibly hurt me more.

During school the next day, I could tell she was ignoring Maya and Lucas. I usually don't let Riley do anything that could potentially hurt her, but I could not bare to do anything that she wouldn't want to. I told Lucas to leave her alone for a bit. I promised I would tell him if anything bad happened to her. He's pretty worried about her. I'm not sure about Maya. I can never read her. Obviously she wants to talk to her. I told Riley to meet me at Topanga's after school. When I got there, she seemed perfectly fine. I was relieved to see Riley in her normal-state. She greeted me, and I sat down.

"Riley, I've been waiting to talk to you. You're not picking up your phone." I said. She didn't respond. I didn't want her to know that I'd seen her, so I simply asked "How are you doing?" That was all it took to break her. She started sobbing. I've loved her for 7 years, but I don't think I've ever loved her more than right then. I let her lean on me, and we just stayed quiet until she asked "Farkle, c-c-c-can I st-st-stay at your house to-tonight?" I didn't really think about it when I said "Of course."

Long story short: Mr. Matthews isn't so fond of me anymore. At 8pm I called him, saying that she was at my house, she ate dinner (though she didn't eat much), and she was going to stay in one of our guest bedrooms. He thanked me, though when he said goodbye, I heard him shout "I HATE THAT KID" before hanging up.

 **LUCAS POV:**

Life used to be so easy. I chose Maya, let me explain my reasoning. I love them both equally: with all my heart. I didn't realize that for a while. Riley has a great life, she always has. But Maya, she's the one who's left by others. Abandoned. I just _get_ her. I didn't want it to hurt any of us, but I think I hurt Riley. After a whole day of being ignored at school, I made up my mind: I needed to talk to her. I didn't care how much she hated me. I was _going_ to talk to her. I don't even know what I was going to say. I called her phone, and she didn't answer. I called Mr. Matthews, he said she was at Topanga's. I _went_ to Topanga's. She wasn't there. I went back to her house, knowing she'd be there. Was she? NOPE. Why are girls so complicated? I called her again: no answer. It was raining, and I was soaking wet, so I went home. It was well past dark, almost 10. What am I doing with my life? After leaving 11 messages on her phone, I got into bed. Nobody picked up their phone. At 11:30, in desperation, I called Mr. Matthews.

 **CORY POV:**

Life used to be so easy. I was grading some papers, about to go to bed, when my phone caller ID told me it was exactly who I wouldn't want to hear from. Lucas Friar.

"Hello?"  
"HI!" The joy in his voice made me feel bad. I wouldn't tell him about Riley. But the hope in his voice almost made me want to. "Umm...this is Lucas"

"Again? You know it's pretty late." I replied, hoping to get him to hang up.

"I know sir, umm...is Riley home?"

"Even if she _was_ you know I wouldn't let you talk to her, right?" I really wanted him to hang up...but NOOOO.

"So she's not home?" I said too much already. "Where is she, sir?

The hope in his voice overcame me. I couldn't crush this kid, even if he crushed my daughter. "She's at Farkle's." I said, regretting it immediately. It was for the best; it'd help them in the long run...but I knew it wouldn't be pretty at first.

"Thank you, Sir!"

"But don't go to talk to her-Lucas?" I was too late. He already hung up.


	2. Girl Meets Lies

Farkle and Riley were on the couch watching a documentary (Farkle's choice). It was a Friday night, and Farkle was planning on staying up as long as it took before Riley fell asleep. The documentary, of course, was meant to bore her. Riley was watching it eyes wide open.

 **RILEY POV:** I'm pretty sure Farkle is _trying_ to make me fall asleep. Honestly, that's the only thing keeping me up. The documentary had to have been going for at least an hour and a half. As an answer to my prayers, it finally ended. I jumped up. "My turn to pick!" I grabbed a comedy out of their collection and inserted it in. I seated myself right next to Farkle and we watched together. I don't know when I fell asleep, but it was within the first 45 minutes.

 **FARKLE POV:** After trying to bore her to sleep, a comedy, of course, was what made Riley fall asleep. After seeing her cry so hard, and watching her brain so winded up, it was such a relief to see her so peaceful, asleep on my shoulder. I was about to carry her to her room, in fact I just picked up Riley, when Lucas came into the room. "Your ummm.. butler", he said questioningly, "let me in…".

 **LUCAS POV:** I legitimately just ran to the Minkus', knocked on their door, and their butler or whatever let me in and told me where Farkle would be. I was planning on asking Farkle where Riley was, but when I got to the door, Farkle was holding a sleeping Riley. Something about that picture made me so happy, she was okay. "Would it be alright if I talked to her?", I asked. It was well past midnight, and Riley seemed in such peace. Did I really need to break that? I really needed to talk to her-and I thought if I took her to her room, she might wake up. Only if she woke up would I talk to her. I asked Farkle if I could take her to her room, and he complied. Right as she was in my arms, her eyes fluttered open. She looked at my face for just a moment and stiffened at the sight of her being in my arms, right before standing back on the ground. She turned to Farkle and frustratingly asked "Where is my room, Farkle?" Farkle led her down the hall, and I followed. "Riley?" I finally spoke. "Could I talk to you?" "Of course you can talk to me. Why couldn't you talk to me?" These words were sharp and obviously not what she was thinking. I couldn't think of what to say, so I just hugged her. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but thought twice and laid her head in my chest. "I don't like this", she said. I let go. "No, not the hug. I don't like ignoring you. I don't like being jealous. I don't like having to hide at Farkle's house. I don't like this." There was something empty in her voice, but her words were exactly what I needed to hear. I sighed and agreed with her. After a long silence, I asked "Do you want to go to the roof and talk?" She shook her head. "Sorry Lucas, but I really just want to sleep right now." "I _understand_ , Riley. And I want you to know I _always_ will." I left her room and asked Farkle if I could stay in one of their other guest rooms. Looks like we were all at the Minkus'. Though I was kind of glad Maya wasn't. I feel like she would've made everything worse. When I got in bed, it was 1:30am, and it felt so right to close my eyes and sleep.

 **LUCAS POV:** Farkle woke me up, and he told me Riley wasn't in her room. It seemed he was hoping I might have an idea of where she might be. "Maybe we should call Mr. Matthews", he suggested. I was about to slap him. "Oh yeah, we'll tell him that me you and her spent the night at your house, except for now we don't know where she is!" You could tell he hadn't thought about that. "MAYA!", I yelled. "She could check the Matthew's house for us." We called Maya and had her check. Riley wasn't there. _Oh boy...I lost Riley. Who knows where she is? Wherever that is, I'm sure she wouldn't be there if I didn't come. How could I be so stupid?_ I told his workers to keep an eye for Riley. None of them had seen her. After a good 45 minutes of searching for her, Farkle and I layed on the couch and just gushed. "I lost Riley", I exclaimed. "I didn't think she would leave, I mean said she wanted to be my friend. She didn't want to hide from me...and then she goes _hiding_." "What if something bad happened to her? What if she got hurt and it was our fault? How could we ever forgive ourselves?", Farkle asked. "We couldn't", I replied. "Well it's a good thing nothing bad happened to me, then." Riley was standing there the whole time...or at least enough time for it to be totally embarrassing.

 **FARKLE POV:** I knew Riley was there. I needed Riley to hear Lucas admitting he wouldn't forgive himself if it was his doing of hurting her. Genius, am I right? As I pulled her into a genuine hug to make Lucas less suspicious, he _had_ to start shouting at her. I thought this would be where they completely made up. Apparently my mind palace was a bit smaller than I anticipated. "WHERE WERE YOU?!", he shouted. "Just on the roof", she replied. She had been there all night: She couldn't sleep. I knew that already. " _Please Lucas",_ I thought " _Tell her you're happy to see her. That you were worried. Come on!"_ I thought of all the responses he possibly could say, and he chose the absolute worst one. "Well, I've gotta go find Maya, we're going out for breakfast." Lucas left and Riley was standing there, staying perfectly calm. She was showing the eye of the hurricane, but she and I both knew the real one was in her mind.

 **LUCAS POV:**

To be totally honest, I couldn't think of a single thing to say. I thought Riley had done something terrible. Disappeared. Ran away. Something worse. I don't even know. She appeared and I wanted to just hug her and tell her how happy I was that she was safe. But for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to it. I felt stupid thinking she could be hurt. She was just on the roof! I didn't want her to think I might have feelings for her, so I transferred those unsaid feelings to Maya. I didn't have a date with her, I just couldn't stand there any longer. I feel like a terrible person. I went home and just layed there, when Amy, my little sister, came in. She walked in through the door, said "He's presentable", and in came Maya. "So…" she started, "we're going out for breakfast?" I slammed my head into my pillow. Of course she would know.

 **MAYA POV:**

I don't know about other people, but with our group of friends, _we_ _don't_ _lie_ _to_ _each_ other. I knew immediately what I was going to do when I heard about this. I'm totally fine with Lucas breaking the rules, in fact I love it when he does. But the one thing he doesn't break is my best friend's heart. Him choosing me wasn't what broke it. I know that. It was him lying to her. "So, we're going out for breakfast?", I asked him when I got to his room. He slammed his head into his pillow. "Ranger Rick", I said solemnly, "you don't lie to Riley. You don't lie to _any_ of us." "Does she know I lied?" He asked, obviously upset he didn't think through his words. "Of course not. Like I'd tell her that after breaking her heart, you _lie_ to her now. That's like you going to Texas, getting on the bull without any of us, and then not only failing your ride, but just about dying from the bull trampling you. Then you wake up from you coma and realize we both left you... forever." Cheesy it may be, I was pretty proud of this analogy. "Please don't tell her", he was pleading me and I saw tears form in his eyes. " _Lucas Friar is about to cry",_ I thought. I had so many emotions coursing through my veins, but seeing him like that, pitiful love took over. I sat down next to him. "Just don't lie to her again, please. And especially don't lie to me." "Maya, I'm not going to lie right now, and I don't want you to either. Can we just have an honest moment?" I wondered what he needed to know. "Okay, I'll play your game. Me first. What were you feeling when you saw Riley today?" "Relief", he said immediately. "Then why-" "Nuh-uh", he interrupted, "it's my turn. How is Riley doing? Don't sugarcoat it. When people even thought of us together, she got all depressed, and now we _are_ …" "Honestly", I said, "she's not really letting me know. But we both know she's more than a bit sad." After an awkward moment, I perked up. "So what did you do in Texas?" He chuckled. "That's for another time. Game over!" He started tickling me until I turned on him. He started laughing, and I realized it wasn't because I was tickling him; it was simply my attempt. Since I was on top of him, he just picked me up with his arms and held me in the air as I struggled. We stopped cat-fighting when my mom called, telling me to come home. I knew that though it just happened, this would be a memory that would stay in my mind for a while.


	3. Girl Meets Depression

**DISCLAIMER: This chapter was really hard to write for me. Rated T for the subject of depression. I have never dealt with depression, so this is not an account of people feel while depressed. It's probably** _ **way**_ **off. I hope you enjoy!**

 **MAYA POV:** So Lucas and I are "dating", but it's honestly just the same as us being friends. Nothing romantic. Life has gone pretty smoothly for the past 2 weeks. Lucas and I have gone on 3 casual dates. Everything seems normal...I mean, Riley and I haven't been hanging out as much as usual, but I think she's not upset anymore. I thought it would be good to go see her though. "Hey Riles", I said, climbing through her window. She smiled and asked what I've done today. "Well", I said "I went to this horrible containment box for 7 hours where they brainwashed me with all this gunk." "I did too!", she exclaimed sarcastically. We talked about random things for a bit and then I had to bail because I have an art class on Friday nights now. I love it!

 **FARKLE POV:** Life used to be so easy! I seem to have been saying that a lot recently. I'm worried about Riley. Even before Lucas chose Maya, she was acting different. She's not really talking to Maya or Lucas much at all, and she'll talk to me a little bit, but it's not like it used to be. Something serious is going on. Call me a freak, but I may have installed a small camera in her room that I can check up on. Clever as I am, it only shows her when she's in front of the mirror: that way I can see how she looks at herself. Today was the worst. She looked in the mirror and teared up pretty hard. After wiping her tears and putting on makeup to cover her tear-stained cheeks, she practiced for almost 10 consecutive minutes on trying to make her fake smile look real. It broke my heart completely. After regaining myself, I decided to walk over to her house to talk to her. Maybe I could make her feel better, who knows?

 **LUCAS POV:** I feel like nothing is happening. Everyone seems normal, and we're all friends. Maya and I have gone on a few dates, and Riles has been really good about it. As I was reflecting on the past couple of weeks, Zay called me. "Hey", he said, "I just wanted you to know Vanessa and I are over now...so, um...yeah.." "I'm sorry Zay", I said. Honestly, I had no idea how he was taking this. "Well, _I_ broke up with _her_. I just wasn't digging the whole long-distance relationship thing, ya know?" "Oh, yeah. Listen, I gotta go now, I'm pretty busy. But good luck with everything!" I decided earlier that I needed to go talk to Riley. She hasn't seemed like herself lately, and I feel obligated to be there for her since I wasn't when the whole "Rileytown fiasco" went down.

 **ZAY POV:** I broke up with Vanessa, cuz she and I both knew I wasn't as into her now. Something just changed. I changed. She changed. Riley became. I've liked Riley for a bit, but only now got the courage to break up with Ness (Vanessa). " _Maybe"_ , I hoped, " _she'd pity me and ask me out. Maybe she even likes me!"_ Ridiculous as the thought was, Ness was just a friend before we got romantically involved. Why was Riley any different? I thought if I could confront Riley about her feelings, we could maybe get together if she didn't still like Lucas.

 **RILEY POV:**

I was in my room, listening to some music when Zay knocked on my door. He's the only person who never comes through my window. I allowed him in and he looked at me for a long time. " _What is he looking at?"_ , I thought. I looked at my clothes. " _My clothes are regular."_ I took out my phone and opened the camera to see if my face was jacked up. Then I saw it. " _Crap. Bloodshot eyes, dripped mascara, tear-stained cheeks."_ I couldn't make him un-see me, so I quickly pulled out some wipes and wiped my now pink face. "Umm.. Riley...is everything okay?", he asked. I don't even know why I was crying this time. I didn't even realize it. "Oh yeah- everything's great!", I lied, giving my best Riley-smile. He didn't seem convinced. This may be the most awkward moment in my entire life. His eyes showed he needed an explanation. I wasn't going to tell him that I don't even know why I was crying this time because I cry so frequently I don't even know why anymore. That simply looking in the mirror triggers my tears. No, I had to make up something. "Well...umm...I just got news that my umm...uncle just passed away." It looked like he believed me. Maya was finally rubbing off on me! "I'm so sorry", he said as he rubbed my shoulder. At the moment I didn't even feel guilty. As long as he believed me, I was good. I was glorying in the fact that he believed me as Lucas came through the window. He saw me and Zay and his confusion was obvious. "Hey, Riley…is this a good time?", he asked awkwardly. Zay took his hand off my shoulder and I fell backwards onto my bed. "Unbelievable.", I said. His eyes darted in the search for an explanation. Zay answered. "Riley's uncle just died", he explained. "I'm sorry to hear that, Riley." Lucas looked like he wanted to hug me, but thought twice about it. "Well...Riley, I was wondering if I could talk to you", Lucas said stiffly. " _Now what do you want?",_ I thought. Different words escaped my mouth first. Affirmative words. Words I did not mean.

 **FARKLE POV:**

As I got on the escape ladder, I overheard Lucas talking to Riley. "So I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I would've come earlier, but every time I tried you were asleep." Awkward silence. "I thought you said you couldn't take naps before, but that must be a false memory." " _Farkle, you idiot!"_ , I thought. "I'm fine.", Riley answered. I made it to the window. "No, you're _not_." Those words shouldn't have come out in front of Lucas, but they kept coming. "Riley, I know you better than that. I've seen you. I've seen you crying and sobbing almost everyday. I see how you look at yourself in the mirror. And it breaks my heart. But here's the thing", the words were fast and sharp. Tears were already falling from her eyes. "You're not fine.", I finished. Lucas had the realization I had on the ladder. You could see his brain click. "You're not talking much, not many real smiles, sleeping irregularly, you're not being yourself. You're-" He was cut off by me. I tackled his back and put my hand over his mouth. I could feel him gulp and knew he was tearing up. I got off his back and looked at him. Lucas Friar was crying. Lucas Friar doesn't cry. Lucas Friar _is_ crying. "I failed you", he choked out. "Lucas, you didn't-" Riley started. "Yes, I did. I failed. I didn't realize what was happening to you. I ignored everything. I-...I failed." The last words were solemn and knowing. We were all a big mess "So, what do we do now?" I didn't even realize Zay was in the room until then.

 **LUCAS POV:**

Riley answered without tears, "Umm...I was hoping maybe we wouldn't tell Maya. Lucas, you're reaction was bad enough.", she gestured to the pillow I was holding. I didn't even realize I tore it to pieces. Better a pillow than something else. She continued, "Could you guys do that? She would be so mad at me for not telling her earlier and-" I interrupted, "You _knew_ earlier?!" She gave a sad smile. "Yes."

Anger coursed through my veins. Not at Riley, she couldn't be put to blame; anger at myself. She knew and didn't tell me. She wasn't comfortable with me. I failed her. I failed. "I failed you", I said so quietly I thought she wouldn't hear it. "Lucas", she said with almost anger in her voice. "You did not fail me." Every word she said in the sentence was emphasized, like when I had the one-word notecardss. I still didn't believe her. Farkle asked, "Do your parents know?" Riley looked guilty at this answer. "Not really." "'Not really'?", Farkle questioned. "No."

Farkle got off the bed and walked over to her parents room. It only took about 30 seconds for him to be back.

 **TOPANGA POV:**

Farkle walked into my room as I was working on a case. "Farkle?", I asked. "Mrs. Matthews, I'm sure you know your daughter has been acting", he paused, "differently lately. We've talked and this is really bold of me to say, but I'm almost certain she's dealing with depression. I would recommend finding therapy." With that, he left my room. I thought it must have been a dream. My daughter was a perfect angel of hope and happiness, this couldn't happen to her! Cory would pass out the second he was told. I immediately looked online for a nearby therapist, and I found a well-recommended one just out of our neighborhood. " _Thank goodness for friends like Farkle"_ , I thought. I decided to let Riley have her privacy with friends for now, we could talk later.

 **LUCAS POV:**

When Farkle came back, he played psychiatrist. "Riley", he asked paying attention to only her, "what do you see when you look in the mirror?" "Please don't make me", she pleaded. He started scratching her back lightly and she smiled lightly. "Riley?", he asked waiting for the answer to his question. "You won't like it." "I already knew that." He looked down into her eyes as she spoke. "I see someone who could never be great. Who doesn't have a great purpose like you do. Who just trips over everything. Trips over life." Farkle had tears in his eyes as he hugged Riley for a very long time. It seemed to help her. He looked straight in her eyes. "I want you to know that I love you, Riley." "I love you too", she replied with tears running down her cheeks and onto the shoulder of his shirt. I wanted to go hug her as well, but I didn't want to seem like I was just copying Farkle. Nobody could comfort Riley like he could. Not even Maya. MAYA. Crap. She would probably be coming soon. I would have to decide if I should tell her. Listen to my best friend or be honest with my girlfriend. It seemed like it should be a simple choice, but it wasn't.

 **FARKLE POV:**

I asked her what she saw when she looked in the mirror. "I see someone who could never be great. Who doesn't have a great purpose like you do. Who just trips over everything. Trips over life." I knew beforehand that her answer would break my heart. I didn't know it would shatter it. One of the things about being a therapist is you're supposed to be calm and collected, or at least they all are. I just couldn't. I started tearing up and pulled Riley into a big hug as she cried into my shoulder and I cried into hers. I think it helped her. Once I could speak, I said "I want you to know that I love you, Riley." "I love you too." The world was ours. As long as we could end up in this embrace, any fight was worth it. Especially if we were fighting together. And we always will be.

 **RILEY POV** :

When Farkle embraced me, it was as though he knew exactly that was what I needed. He didn't know how to help, but he did. He told me he loved me. He meant it. Farkle loves me. I love Farkle. Nothing can come between us. All of my negative thoughts were pushed aside as the warmth of his arms wrapped around me took over. I didn't want this moment to end. Our unified love was all that mattered.

The hug seemed to last hours, but I could've stayed there for the rest of my life. I sobbed into his shoulder thinking that he cared so much about me to confront me, to question me, to love me. I felt the warm tears from his eyes on my shoulder and smiled. Knowing he had such empathy for me really _really_ helped. I was surprised to see myself be the one to pull out of the hug. I didn't even think about it when I kissed him. "Thank you." I whispered as the dark thoughts began to cloud my mind again.

 **FARKLE POV:**

Riley pulled out of the hug. _Maybe it didn't help like I thought. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Maybe it would be better if-_ her lips were on my lips. My lips. Hers. They were soft and loving. It took me an awkward fraction of a second to process it. "Thank you", she whispered. I blushed and turned away. The moment was over. Our moment was over. Lucas made sure of that. "So _how_ long have you known?" I glared at him with my death stare. She was supposed to be healing or something. I turned to Riley, "you don't have to-" "He has a right to know. I've been…" she looked for the word, "struggling", she continued "for a while, but I figured it out the day I stayed at Farkle's house. Remember you came in", she continued but I didn't hear. It had taken me two weeks to know what was up with Riley. I should've putten two and two together much earlier. It was so obvious looking back. I was a bad friend. Lucas hadn't failed her, I had. More tears came, but I was blinking them back. Riley looked at me just before I swallowed the tears down. "What?", she asked. " _I_ failed you", I said.

She stood up and went to the bay window. " _None_ of you failed me, okay? I'm the only failure here. You guys did what you should. You guys-" I interrupted her, sitting on the other side of the bay window. "Riley Erica Matthews, you are _not_ a failure. You don't-" "I'm more of a failure than you two are" "I'm the only failure here", Lucas said. We shot him an evil look. There was a whole lot of arguing before Riley calmly said "Farkle, you are the smartest person I have ever met. _You_ are the one that figures me out. _You_ are the one that calms me down. _You_ are my best friend!"

"So then I guess I'm just your little neighbor?" Maya climbed through the window. "How much did you hear, Peaches?" "All of it."

 **MAYA POV:**

As I climbed up the fire escape, I heard my 3 best friends arguing. I heard the word "failure" a whole lot in there. I was going to break it up when Riley started speaking in a soft voice. I tried to focus in on her words but only heard " _You_ are my best friend." I thought I would make a joke out of it. "So then I guess I'm just your little neighbor?" I was sarcastic but it didn't sound like it. "How much did you hear?", she asked. _Crap. There must've been a whole lot more to this._ Although I barely heard anything, if I said I heard all of it, she might admit some of what happened. "All of it." I replied confidently.

"Like from what point?" She asked. I looked in and saw Lucas, Zay and Farkle. The safest answer would be Farkle, because he never comes with company. "Since Farkle came", I said. She looked really guilty. "Maya, I wasn't _actually_ going to keep a secret from you", she lied. Riley was a really bad liar. What was she keeping from me? It seemed big, really big. "So you're not going to hug her or anything?" Zay chided in. I tried not to look confused as I gave Riley a big but insincere hug. " _What just happened?"_ I thought.


	4. Girl Meets Truth

**TOPANGA POV:**

It's been 2 days since Farkle told me about Riley. Tomorrow was her first therapy session. It was time to tell Cory. I took him out for dinner at a popular restaurant he liked. I was wearing his favorite dress and made special reservations. After he ate half of his food, I hummed in. "Honey?" "Yes?" "I need you to not react because we're in front of a lot of people. You know your daughter?" "I've known her for 15 years. She's full of happiness and rainbows." He was not going to make this easy. "Well...something has changed and...take a breath in...your daughter is dealing with major depressive episodes. Breathe out now." "Please don't react." I was too late. Cory slammed his silverware down and stood up. "WHAT?!" I ushered him down and tried to calm him. People were staring. Calmly, I stated, "She starts therapy tomorrow. I got a great doctor who is going to help."

 **RILEY POV:**

I woke up in the middle of the night. Well, morning I guess. It was 2:30 am. When I sat up to check the time, my father was standing there watching me. His cheeks were tear-stained, and I knew exactly what went down during their date. He knew, and it made me awfully uncomfortable.

"How long have you been here?", I asked.

"About 2 hours."

"Could you not relate my life to history today?"

"I had something great planned."

"Please!", I begged.

"Okay, sweetie. Go back to bed."

 **FARKLE POV:**

Today was the big day. Mr. Matthews found out about Riley, school was bound to be incredibly awkward, then Riley'd go to therapy. I'm planning on going to her house afterwards and see how it worked. Psychology is such a fun subject. When we got to English, where we were finishing Hamlet, Riley sat at her desk and I sat behind her. I was watching her the entire time, making sure nothing went wrong. We didn't bring up the kiss, but it wasn't awkward like she and Lucas were. We were simply best friends, and I wasn't going to fail her.

 **LUCAS POV:**

To think I thought everything was normal. It's anything but! The only normal ones are Farkle and Riley, which is crazy. We all saw them kiss, but it seems like they're not awkward. They're talking like normal. Nobody else is. I saw Maya sitting at the lunch table before anyone else and sat down. She seemed a bit distraught.

"What are you thinking about, pancakes?", I asked.

"Riley." She answered.

"Yeah, it's kinda crazy. Nobody expected it. It was like a bomb exploded in her or something." Maya looked uncomfortable. We dropped the subject and conversed about our day.

 **MAYA POV:**

I can't get it out of anybody what happened to Riley. Was it a bully again? Did she and Farkle get together? What was the deal? Her, Lucas, Farkle, and Zay seemed a whole lot closer now though. Something clicked between them all and I missed it. Maybe I could just straight up ask Farkle and he'd tell me. Riley was going to keep a secret from me. Did I do something? Why can't I know? It's driving me _insane_!

 **RILEY POV:**

School was a blur. I couldn't think of anything but how my life sucks. And I made it suck. I don't think therapy will help with that. I'm really nervous about it. Will they be interrogating me? Brain surgery? I have no idea what to think. The hour came, and my dad drove me to therapy, made sure it was my turn, and let me go. It was scary walking into Dr. Tenor's office. When I got in, there was a lady in bright colors with natural blonde hair standing by a couch. "Come in, Riley!", she said with a smile. The words didn't comfort me at all.

 **FARKLE POV:**

I was in her room 4 minutes and 34 seconds before she got home. I was anticipating either a super dreary and sad Riley or a bright and bubbly Riley. I wasn't sure how it'd go. When she came it was 7:07. "How was it?" I asked when she walked in. "It was okay." "What did Dr. Tenor do? How did she talk to you?" "It was like a conversation, but she asked more questions than you usually would." "Interesting. How do you feel?" "Normal, I guess…" It was obvious that Dr. Tenor hadn't really dove straight in. She was easing Riley into this therapy. I respected that, but I wanted the real happy Riley as soon as possible. She seemed a lot better since we talked a few days ago. Knowing we were behind her helped her I think.

 **RILEY POV:  
** I hate the label "depressed". I hated it before I fit under it. Now people know. People talk. More people know. I need people to treat me like I'm normal. My friends worry too much that what they say will hurt me. I kinda want to be only says nice things. I need to be chastened. I can't do this for long. I feel like I'm getting special treatment, the kind you get when you're handicapped or have special needs. People who know about my depression talk to me like a child. It also seems like they're avoiding the actual word "depressed" like it's some form of a cuss word. I'm not having regular conversations. Farkle's good at it, Dr. Tenor's better, Lucas is alright. Maya seems like she's trying to get something out of me, and Zay isn't talking to me much at all. Teachers are telling me that if I need more time on the HW or reading, I can have it. I need to feel normal. Maybe I'm not. Maybe I am the outcast they make of me.

 **ZAY POV:  
** I didn't even get to ask Riley about her feelings. Apparently I didn't need to, cuz she took the step all on her own and kissed Farkle. Far-kle! And I thought that depressed people lay back. Of course Riley is different, but her being so unpredictable is driving me insane. One day she's best friends with Maya, the next they're barely talking. One moment she's skipping around the halls, the next she's wiping tears from her beautiful face. One moment I'm rubbing her back and making her smile, the next she kisses Farkle. Honestly, woman! Pick a side of the fence and stay on it! Ness found another guy. I'm not jealous. Riley found another guy. I am.

 **LUCAS POV:**  
I was at Maya's house, having a regular conversation with her when out of the blue she asked "What's up with Riley?" She knew about everything, I thought...so what was she referring to? "What do you mean?"

"You guys seem so close all of the sudden, and she's all over the place, and I don't know why."

"I thought you heard it all."

"I didn't."

"So you lied?"

"Yes. I lied."

"After our talk 2 weeks ago?"

"Please don't go the-"

"So I guess we're going to have another round of the honest game, then?"

"Oh boy, Hop-along, what do you want to know?"  
"Lemme think about it. I'm going first.", it was a bit before I picked my perfect question. "Your weak spot. What is it?"

"I don't have one", she smirked.

"Maya, this is the honest game."

"Fine. I guess it would be love. I've been practically incapable of it for as long as I can remember." I finally got an honest answer from her. I was more proud of myself for getting her to say it than actually comprehending what she said. I know how to play this game so I get as much out of her as I can squeeze.

"So what happened Saturday night?" I thought about my answer before I said "You get _one_ honest answer. We'll keep playing until you know the whole story."

"LUCAS!", she yelled, pretending to be more annoyed than she was. It was a bit too loud because Shawn came in.

"Everything alright in here, Maya?" He saw me and gave me a dirty look.

"I see...Lucas, do anything to her and you'll pay for it." He punched his hand as a sign.

When he left, I muttered "I'd like to see you try." Maya cracked up.

"Okay. Answer. Now!" I pretended to think about it for a long time to get on her nerve. "Well...umm...uh..." She slapped me hard. "Ow! Fine. Answer 1: Riley kissed Farkle."

"She did NOT!" Maya gasped.  
"My turn again!", I said proudly.  
"Okay..." It took me awhile to find another great question.

"What do you like best about me?" She dropped her head back dramatically.

"Honestly", she said "I like when you get worked up." This was not the answer I was looking for.

"And", she added, coming closer, "when you kiss me."

"Well, that's too bad", I said as I folded in my lips "because your first answer wasn't correct." I sounded like an idiot with my lips tucked in, but it got the point across.

"No", she corrected. "It _is_ the right answer. I like it when you get worked up because I like it when you get protective. Then I know you'll take care of me." She inched closer with every word until she was millimeters away. "Fine", I gave in, and we shared a long kiss.

"PART TWO!" She chided as she broke off. "What happened on Saturday night?" I didn't want to drop the bomb for as long as I could hold out.

"Part two of three." I responded before I answered "We got into an argument about who was the biggest failure. That's about when you came in."

"You're a failure now?" She asked.

"You'll understand soon", I said seriously.  
My last question needed to be perfect. Something nobody knew. Something that could be ours. "What's the biggest, darkest secret weighing down your heart?" I knew this might be really deep, but I was ready.

"Well...it used to be that I liked you,"

"What's that?" I asked.

"It used to be that I liked you"

"Wrong word.", I said.

"It used to be that I loved you."

I shook my head. "Wrong tense."

"It used to be that I love you."

"Sorry, I missed that", I said playfully.

"Te amo", she said with a Mexican accent.

"No hablo español", I said with horrible pronunciation that made her crack up.

"I love you, Lucas." The way she looked in my eyes made me know she meant it.

"I love you too, Maya." I meant it too.

"But now you have to tell me what your deep dark secret is." I looked at her with a large smirk.

"I guess it's just..." She was seriously thinking over telling me. "I guess it's just that the Matthew's, Farkle, Shawn, and you are the only people I've even attempted to get connected to because after my father left..." her eyes were bloodshot. "I can only think of the people I love leaving me." She could've just taken my heart out there and then.

"I won't leave you."

"I know."

"Part 3?" She asked, relieved to finally know.

"Maya, I need you to stay calm and collected. If Shawn hears you, either me or him will be dead by tomorrow." She gave a nervous giggle.

I didn't know how to word it. "Umm...I'm sure you know that Riley has been a bit different, and we came to the realization that she is..." I took a deep breath in and held her hand. "Riley is struggling with major depression." Maya's face went so incredibly pale. "I failed her" were the last words she said before she passed out. I gasped really loud. I didn't know what to do.  
"SHAWN!" I shouted. He walked to the door and asked "What is it?"

"She- she passed out", I managed to say.

"Out of my house." He said sternly.

"No, sir, I don't think you under-"

"OUT!"

"I'm not going anywhere." I single handedly carried Maya into the car while he grabbed the keys and we sped off to the hospital.  
"What happened?", he asked angrily as we were driving.

"We were playing a game."

"A game? What type of 'game' were you playing, Friar?"

I answered defensively, "well it wasn't exactly a game. It's just something we do where we ask questions and have to answer honestly. I'm not sure if you're aware that Riley is-"

"I know about Riley!" He sharply retorted.

"Well Maya didn't, and I told her, and she passed out. She said 'I failed her' and dropped on the bed." They stayed silent for a while.  
About 3 minutes into the 6-minute drive, Maya regained consciousness. She seemed utterly confused. She looked at Lucas and started blinking hurriedly. "Ow!" She said as she put her hand on her head.

"Hey, Maya", I said calmly. "You okay? We're going to be at the hospital really soon." She froze at the word "hospital".

"Why?" She asked.

"What's the last thing you remember, Maya?", Shawn asked.

She turned to me. "You were going to tell me part 3."

 _"Crap."_ I thought. _"Now I have to tell her again."_

"What's part 3?" Shawn asked suspiciously.

"That's the one she didn't know about. The one she blacked out after I told her."

Shawn pulled into a parking space and I carried Maya into the hospital. A stretcher greeted us as we entered, and I placed Maya on it as they carried her away and asked Shawn questions. I went with Maya.

The nurse started talking a different nurse. "It seems she lost oxygen for about 4 minutes, so no permanent brain damage." I shuttered at the way she emphasized the word _permanent_. "She should be fine, but we should keep her in here for the night."

It worried me. They already hooked Maya up to oxygen and some other things when Shawn came in.

"Can you tell her?" I pleaded.

"Heck no! It's your job anyway." I hated the anticipation of telling her _much_ more this time around. Her reaction would be wild. I'd probably tell her while we were in the hospital, that way if anyone got hurt, they'd be able to be helped.

It was an hour and a half before Maya and I got some alone-time. There was a beautiful sunset outside her window I wish she could see. When I asked Shawn to leave the room, I whispered in his ear that he should stand right outside the door in case something happened.

I didn't know what to say to her.

Maya spoke first. "Huckleberry?"

"Yes?" She sat up and kissed me.

"I love it when you do that." I said honestly.

"Good. So now that you're in a good mood, it's time for part three, I believe."

I was starting to question her. "You honestly don't remember?"  
"I have no idea what happened. Riley and Farkle kissed, you had an argument about who's the biggest failure and…" She eyed me to tell me to fill in the blank.

I held her hand. "Lay back down. Riley is dealing with depression."

She went pale again, but luckily didn't pass out this time around.

"I missed being there for my best friend when she needed it the most. I-I-I have to go see her now." She tried to sit up, but by her groans I knew it hurt her.

"Lay down. I'll text Riley to come here."

 **MAYA POV:**

I needed to see Riley so bad, I was ready to run across the world to get to her. But my head hurt so bad. Then Lucas texted her and I second-guessed myself. I couldn't see Riley. Not after this. She would be so mad at me. I would be so mad at myself...and my head hurt. _What to do? What to do? What to say? What to say?_ Shawn noticed me thinking and came to my side, holding my hand. "A penny for your thoughts."

"Do you have a penny?" I asked.

"I have a 1 dollar bill. It better be good." He handed me the bill.

"Riley's coming and I have no idea what I'll do...and my head hurts."

He looked like he knew something I didn't.

"Take it from me, kiddo. Stay happy. Anything negative will only hurt the both of you. Empathy. Sincerity. Kindness. Those are what will help you." I looked over at my mother as she finished.

"That was actually good advice, Mom. Been working on it?" I saw my mother hold out her hand as Shawn placed a $20 bill on it. "Oh yeah", she said as she sniffed the bill. We all started cracking up.

"Mom?" I asked. "What is it like for Riley? What's in her head?" I was afraid to know the answer.

"Everything's dark and hopeless." This couldn't be Riley. Riley radiated light. Riley was the definition of hope. I hoped this would be gone soon.

 **FARKLE POV:**

I was the last one to the hospital. Maya was hooked up to a few things still, but we had a good conversation. Maya just found out about Riley's depression, but she stayed calm and happy. I wish I was that good. There were no tears. Eventually, it got dark and Riley and I walked to our houses together.

"Riley, I just wanted you to know you can _always_ come to me. I don't care if I'm mad at you for some reason or you think I can't help. I don't care if it's the middle of the night. In fact, if it is, you just come into my room anyways. If I'm asleep, wake me up. I don't care if I'm about to discover a crazy new element for NASA. Please just come to me. Promise?" Her chocolate eyes looked up at mine.

She didn't want to lie to me. I knew it would be hard for her. "I'll try, Farkle."

"That's all I needed to know." I pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. We split our ways, and she was all that was on my mind for the rest of my restless night.


	5. What I Used To Know (short)

**SMACKLE POV:**

Farkle and I were kinda a thing before, but I ended it. I told him I had my eyes on a different relationship. He doesn't know that I wasn't talking about one with me in it. I'm like totally fine living my life for academics right now. I have friends now, why do I need romance? But Farkle, on the other hand, should totally get with Riley. They're like so cute together! Totally! Also, I've like totally gotten the teenager slang down. I know things are supposed to be awkward between us now, but I kinda hope they aren't.

 **FARKLE POV:**

Smackle and I decided that we were going to date other people. She has her eyes on another prize. School was awkward today (we told everybody), but we have the weekend in front of us now, so I won't have to see Smackle until Monday. Maya got to come back to school on Wednesday, so she ended up only missing one day. She's completely recovered, I think. Riley's been fighting and you can tell she wants to be happy. After going to Topanga's for homework, we all went to our houses. I was working on my time travel theory when Riley walked in.

"Farkle, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

"Does love exist?"

"Of course it does."

"I remember thinking I loved someone. I remember thinking love exists, but I think I was wrong. Love doesn't exist."

It's as if she was thinking " _How can I smush up the already-shattered pieces of Farkle's heart?"_.

"It does, Riley. What do you think I think about you?"

"You see a pity case."  
"No. I don't. I see a beautiful girl who I _love_."

"You just tell yourself that. After saying it so many times, you believe it's true. But it's not."

 **RILEY POV:**

It was Farkle's move this time. His lips were against mine. I felt nothing. After a long quiet moment, Farkle was getting angry.

" _Why_ is it so hard for you to believe I love you? _How_ could you not know that?"

"You told me to come to you when I feel like this. I didn't think you'd-" _oh._

His eyes explained everything. They were wet and upset, but there was something more than that. I couldn't grasp what it was.

"Explain yourself. Tell me everything."

Everything seemed to flood out. I needed to rant like this. "It's like I used to be just walking on the beach, breathing in the nice air but then I fell in quicksand or something. It didn't take long for me to be completely enveloped by this. As I'm sinking down, I don't breathe. Until I do. But I _can't_ breathe, and I can't think of what it's like to breathe anymore." _Please help me remember_.

 **FARKLE POV:**

Riley just opened up something big. Her analogy was perfect, I understood it all. Her mind is pressuring her down and because of that, the love that she used to practically breathe on is gone. Now she's been pressured so long, she almost doesn't remember what it's like to love. She doesn't recognize love. She needs someone to help her remember love. All I know is I want to be that someone. But I don't know how. I thought about it long and hard- _how do you get out of quicksand? You can't be pulled out, you have to wiggle around...by yourself...until you can get out. How would I fit into that? Instruct her to wiggle? Did I even have a right to do that?_

"How can I help?", I asked.

"I'm not sure you can."

"No, Riley. I want to. More than anything. How can I help?"

"Help me remember what I used to know."


	6. Girl Meets Stress

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **LUCAS POV:** Riley has now been going to therapy for 4 weeks. I love that she's back. She's smiling, she's happy, she's hanging out with us. It was all I could do when she asked "Do you wanna go grab some ice cream or something?" to not cry when I hugged her. It was so nice to have a confident Riley. Maya and I are still together, and we've had our share of moments. We also had a short fight where she got at me for being "too perfect" and poured her water on my head. It ended when we both cracked up, thinking of when she poured the smoothie over my head in eighth grade. Farkle and Smackle are pretty good, less awkward now I think. I haven't really talked to them much, but Maya and Smackle are talking nonstop to each other. It's like some discovery that they were switched at birth or something was made. They're the best of friends. Which is kind of insane. Maya and Smackle are the best of friends. Not Riley and Maya. _What happened there?_

 **FARKLE POV:** It was like a somewhat-daily tradition: one of us to enter in the other's room, I would say a message of greeting, she'd tell me exactly how much her life sucks and what a bad person she is. It would _almost_ be amusing to see her pick at every single bad thing about herself and crawl in as deep as that darkness would go...but it's not. Once she was done ranting, I'd tell her how much her life doesn't suck. I'd crawl a couple _inches_ into a _few_ great qualities that she has, and tell her that her greatness overshines the little flaws she has. Riley's been going to therapy for 4 weeks, and it seems to have helped her a lot. Mrs. Matthews told me that Dr. Tenor said after 1 more week, she'll be great to go. I'm really proud of her. We've grown a lot from this, more than we'd ever imagine. Smackle, Lucas, Maya, Zay, Riley, me...we're better than ever. Smackle and Maya have really clicked too. They're the new thing, and Riley and I are the other new thing. Lucas and Zay are still great friends, but Lucas and I have been talking a lot, too. Pretty much everyone loves everyone.

 **MAYA POV:** "Hey, Charming. What are you up to?", I said as I walked in Lucas' room.

"That's a new one. I like it, Cinderella."

"You'll die if you call me Cinderella."  
"Will you be the one that kills me?"  
"Yep"

"I wouldn't have my death be any other way, Cinderella." I gave a short bowi.

"So then we'd have to have a _ball_ to fall in love with each other?"  
"I'll invite everyone!"

"No, Lucas! I was kidding. Please don't…" He already texted somebody.

"Riley's coming!" _oh great. Now we can never call this thing off._

It was Friday night, we had our "ball" today in the cafeteria. It was amazing how willing Mr. Matthews was to this idea. Mrs. Matthews was all over it as well. Already a recipe for disaster. Isadora, Riley and I got dresses at Demolition and I heard the boys were all going to be in tuxes. The Matthews' provided the food even though it was just the 6 of us. I picked out the music, and was really excited about it. We knew the boys would be in there already, and the "big reveal" of us would be made when the double doors opened. They'd be standing in a certain order, and so would we. That would give us our partners for the first dance, and we got to choose our partners the rest of our dances. The first song was an upbeat slow dance, and the rest of them were romance-y songs. We lined up and walked in to see our partners. I told Lucas to be on the left, and I was on the left too. But we forgot that we were facing each other, so I was on his right, and he was on my right. I was with Farkle. Riley with Zay. Izzy with Lucas. That thought made me laugh. It may have just been me, but I think I heard her say "You _planned_ to be with me for this dance, didn't you, hunk?"

 **FARKLE:** Maya was my first dance. A great opportunity to talk to her. She laid her head on my shoulder, her arms wrapped around my shoulders, my arms around her back. I liked this.

"What are you thinking about?", I asked.

"I don't even know. Just reflecting on the 6 of us. Our friendship. How far it's come. Lucas and I are in a relationship, Smackle and I are best friends. You and Riley are-" She stopped.

"What are we?"

"You're the one who should know!" She exclaimed.

I started the reminiscing this time. "It still is crazy to me that we're sophomores."

Together we reflected on the past four years. It was a great 4 minutes before the next song came. Riley and I started dancing together for a few dances before Lucas came over and asked if he could dance with her.

 **RILEY POV:** Why did Lucas want to dance with me? Wasn't he happy with Maya? Something must've happened. And it was my fault. Why did I always ruin things?

"How are you doing?", Lucas asked.

"Good."

"Umm...I just wanted to let you know that" _it was all my fault._ "I'm still here for you if you need. If you need someone to talk to, I can talk. I still feel like I'm not helping anyone with anything, and I just don't like that."

We talked for the rest of the dance and I left him with a small kiss on the cheek when he said "I love you, Riley"

 **FARKLE POV:** I watched Lucas' lips as he said "I love you, Riley." I saw her kiss him on the cheek. I was not paying any attention to Smackle, whom I was dancing with. The question came back to my mind. _What are we? What do I_ want _to be? What about her?_ I took her back for the next dance and asked her.

"What are we?"

"We're good friends."  
I can't believe I was saying this after eight years. "Riley, do you want to be my, um, girlfriend?"

She looked in my eyes. "I would." Her lips grazed mine for a moment and we danced the rest of the night.

 **RILEY POV:** Farkle and I have been dating for a whole month now. It's the best thing ever. We've had our more intimate moments, but for the most part it's just helped knowing that things that could be perceived as romantic would be alright to be perceived like that. It made it less awkward. It wasn't stiff and unreal like when Lucas and I tried to date. It was wonderful, comfortable, and real.

School has been so stressful. In Science, Lucas and I are partnered up and we're working on a project on stress relief. Coincidentally, it's the most stressful thing I've ever done. I've pulled 2 all-nighters already, and stayed up until at least midnight working on it everyday. We only have until Thursday (it's Tuesday) to finish it, and we're barely halfway done now. As Lucas and I were working on it in the evening, Farkle came in the window. I really just didn't have time for him at the moment.

"Hey Farkle, wanna help?"

He started helping us, but he didn't know exactly what he was doing. It still was faster since there were three of us, so I appreciated it. He had to leave at 9:00, kissed me, and told me to get some sleep tonight. As he left, I muttered "I wish." Lucas laughed. We both knew we would be here well into the morning.

 **LUCAS POV:** Riley and I decided to go to bed around 5 in the morning, so we got 2 hours of sleep. I ended up sleeping on her couch, because we didn't want to make her parents drive me home, and I'd fall asleep on the way if I walked. I was woken up by Mrs. Matthews.

"LUCAS!" she yelled in a whisper, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi Mrs. Matthews." I yawned, "Sorry, I ended up sleeping over because we were so tired."

"Well ya better get up before Cory see-"

Mr. Matthews walked in the room right then. His expressions were confused, understanding, and then furious. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!", he yelled. You can imagine we had a very interesting conversation after that.

 **FARKLE POV:** Riley obviously didn't get the sleep I told her to. Mr. Matthews seemed _really_ pissed off about something, and it was obvious from his lesson. It didn't even relate to history, he just started babbling this nonsense about boys and sleep and Mexico. Lucas tried to raise his hand and Mr. Matthews gave him the most evil glare and moved on. I talked to Riley about it.

"Hey Riles"

"Farkle."

"What time did you get to sleep?"

She tried to shake the question off. "Um..not too late. Got sleep."

I rolled my eyes. "What time, Riley?"

"About 5."

"I'm going to have to put you to bed tonight. You need your rest! You and Lucas both" I stopped there because I saw Mr. Matthews looking at me and totally eavesdropping on our conversation.

"What's up with your dad?", I asked.

"Well, Lucas slept over last night and-"

"HE WHAT?"

"Oh, he just slept on the couch. It was so late and-"

I laid my head back. "Riley, I'm _really_ going to have to put you to bed tonight."

"But our project is"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PROJECT. I CARE THAT-" I stopped myself, realizing I was yelling. I looked into Riley's eyes and saw them tearing up.

"No, no. Don't do that." I said as I brushed a tear off her cheek. "I care that you're sleep deprived" _and let Lucas sleep over_. "I'll help you with your project again today, and we'll try to sleep some, too. Okay?" She nodded, blinking back the rest of her tears. _I did that. I made Riley cry._ It felt awful.

"I love you, Riley."

There was no response.


End file.
